Friday, January 27, 2017

Patches and Pinwheels

Most of the quilts I have made in the last 2 years have either been sold or given away. I've reached a point where I have to be selective with what quilts I keep as they are starting to take over my house. The quilt I have to share with you today is another gifted quilt.

I pieced this quilt back when I was still in college, like 2009 or 2010. In fact I blogged about it way back in the day when I finished piecing it (see post here). I have been holding onto this quilt for a while because I wanted to give it to my father and his fiance' for their wedding gift. Well, it seems that this lovely couple is destined to be perpetually engaged. I know they are going to be together forever, and yet wedding plans are still not seemingly in the works. Nonetheless, I got tired of waiting to give this to them, haha.

I finished the binding on this quilt this past summer on a work trip, hence the photos taken in a hotel room. :) Finishing this quilt was so therapeutic for me, because it felt so great to finish an older project, and also there were some nostalgic fabrics in this quilt.

The pattern that I used for piecing is "Patches and Pinwheels" which is a free pattern by Bonnie Hunter of Quiltville.com (pattern here). It is really a 2 block quilt, and even though there are some small pieces, it goes together quickly. I love the movement of this pattern, and I am sure that I will used this pattern again. It is a great way to use up scrap strips of fabric.

I broke from my quilting norm, and tried to do something a little different. I quilted free hand maple leaves in a random all over design. I love how it turned out, even if some of the "leaves" are a bit wonky looking. I haven't tried quilting with pantographs yet, so I am always trying to find new designs to use. I can't use swirls on EVERY quilt, ya know?!

It made my heart happy to give this quilt to people who have been so supportive of me. My dad is the kind of person who cares about listening to what you have to say. He is intelligent, and open minded, and he can always give good advice without making you feel stupid in the process. My Stepmom, in perfect contrast, is warm and caring and a little bit sassy. These people, despite being family, have often been some of the only people I can always count on. I wish I had more than just this quilt to give them. It certainly doesn't begin to pay back all the things they have done for me.